University of California, Berkeley Mechanical Engineering

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M. Reza Alam

American Bureau of Shipping Chair in Ocean Engineering

Vice Chair, Equity & Inclusion
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
American Bureau of Shipping Chair in Ocean Engineering

6111 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
reza.alam@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-2591

For more information see: TAF Lab
Current Classes Taught

Born in Yazd, a small historic city at the geographic center of Iran, Reza received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering and MSc in Applied Mechanics from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. He then joined the Mechanical Engineering program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. He received his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2005, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2008, and then served as a Postdoctoral associate (2008-2009) and Lecturer (2009-2011) at MIT. In July 2011 Reza joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, CA, as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering.


Research Description:

Theoretical Fluid Dynamics, Nonlinear Wave Mechanics, Ocean and Coastal Waves Phenomena, Ocean Renewable Energy (Wave, Tide and Offshore Wind Energy), Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, Fluid Flow Control

 

Key Publications:

Publications in 2015

Jalali, M. A.; Khoshnood, A., and Alam, M.-R., “Microswimmer-Induced Chaotic Mixing“, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (2015), In Press, [PDF]

 

Zareei, A. and Alam M.-R., “Cloaking in Shallow Water Waves via Nonlinear Medium Transformation“, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (2015), Volume 778, pp. 273-287

 

Timmerberg, S, Börner, T., Shakeri, M., Ghorbani, R. and Alam M.-R., “The “Wave Bridge” For Bypassing Oceanic Wave Momentum“, Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy (2015), [PDF]

 

Couston, L. A., Mei, C. C., and  Alam, M.-R. “Landslide Tsunamis in Lakes“, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 772 / June 2015, pp 784- 804. [PDF]

 

Nia, H. T., Jain, A. D., Liu, Y., Alam, M.-R., Barnas, R., and Makris N.C.,  “The evolution of air resonance power efficiency in the violin and its ancestors“ Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, A 471: 20140905. (2015). [PDF]

 

Börner, T., and  Alam, M.-R. “Real Time Hybrid Modeling for Ocean Wave Energy Converters“, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 43, pages 784–795, (2015).

 

Please visit the TAF Lab website for the previous years’ publications.

Francesco Borrelli

FANUC Chair in Mechanical Systems

Vice Chair, Master of Engineering
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
FANUC Chair in Mechanical Systems

5133 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
fborrelli@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-3871

For more information see: MPC Lab
Current Classes Taught

Francesco Borrelli received the `Laurea’ degree in computer science engineering in 1998 from the University of Naples `Federico II’, Italy. In 2002 he received the PhD from the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH-Zurich, Switzerland. He is currently a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of California at Berkeley, USA. He is the author of more than one hundred fifty publications in the field of predictive control. He is author of the book Predictive Control published by Cambridge University Press, the winner of the 2009 NSF CAREER Award and the winner of the 2012 IEEE Control System Technology Award. In 2016 he was elected IEEE fellow. In 2017 he was awarded the Industrial Achievement Award by the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Council.

 

Since 2004 he has served as a consultant for major international corporations. He was the founder and CTO of BrightBox Technologies Inc, a company focused on cloud-computing optimization for autonomous systems, acquired by Flex, Inc. in 2016. He was the co-director of the Hyundai Center of Excellence in Integrated Vehicle Safety Systems and Control at UC Berkeley. He is the co-founder of WideSense, Inc. a UC Berkeley spinoff focused on Mobility Contextual Intelligence.

 

His research interests are in the area of model predictive control and its application to automated driving, robotics, food and energy systems.


Research Description:

Model Predictive Control, Model-Based AI, Distributed and Robust Constrained Control, Automotive Control Systems, Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficient Building Control Systems, Solar Power Plants, Mobility Contextual Intelligence, Robotics and Food Systems.

 

Van P. Carey

A. Richard Newton Chair in Engineering

A. Richard Newton Chair in Engineering
Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6123 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
vpcarey@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-7177

For more information see: Energy and Multiphase Transport Laboratory
Current Classes Taught

Professor Carey is widely recognized for his research on near-interface micro- and nanoscale thermophysics and transport in liquid-vapor systems, and computational modeling and simulation of energy conversion and transport processes.  His research has frequently included modeling at multiple scales, ranging from the molecular level (molecular dynamics simulation of thermophysics) to the device and system level (multidevice system models).  His research is also exploring the use of machine learning strategies to enhance performance of energy conversion and transport in applications, and create energy technologies that can autonomously adapt to maximize their performance and reduce their environmental impact.  

 

Since joining the Berkeley faculty in 1982, Professor Carey’s research has spanned a variety of applications areas, including high performance solar thermal power systems, building and vehicle air conditioning, smelting and casting of aluminum, phase change thermal energy storage, heat pipes for aerospace applications, high heat flux cooling of electronics, data center thermal management, and energy efficiency of digital information systems.  His research has contributed to developing advanced heat rejection technologies for electronics cooling, building AC systems, and power plants, and he has developed performance models for Tesla turbine expanders for green energy conversion technologies and thermionic power generation technologies for space applications.

 

Carey’s current research emphasizes development of strategies to use machine learning tools to better understand and model flame spread processes in electronic systems and the physics of boiling heat transfer at surfaces covered with hydrophilic nanostructured coatings.  This includes exploring innovative ways to combine advanced instrumentation data and machine learning image analysis to understand the physics of boiling processes.   He is also using machine learning tools to enhance performance modeling of energy conversion devices, and developing machine-learning-based adaptive energy conversion systems that can autonomously adjust their operation to simultaneously maximize energy efficiency and meet operating requirements for the application of interest. 

 

Carey is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he has also served as the Chair of the Heat Transfer Division of ASME.  Carey received the James Harry Potter Gold Medal in 2004 for his eminent achievement in thermodynamics, and the Heat Transfer Memorial Award in the Science category (2007) from the ASME.  Carey is also a three-time recipient of the Hewlett Packard Research Innovation Award for his research on electronics thermal management and energy efficiency (2008, 2009, and 2010), and he received the 2014 Thermophysics Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.


Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Carey’s publications, please visit the Energy and Multiphase Transport Laboratory website.

James Casey

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6125 Etcheverry Hall, Mailstop 1740
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
jimcasey@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-2863

For more information see: Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Continuum mechanics, plasticity, approximate nonlinear theories of elasticity, dynamics of nearly rigid bodies.

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Casey’s publications, please click here.

Chris Dames

Howard Penn Brown Chair in Mechanical Engineering

Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Howard Penn Brown Chair in Mechanical Engineering

6143 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
cdames@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-7013

For more information see: Nano/Energy Lab
Current Classes Taught

Chris Dames received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. His B.S. and M.S. are from UC Berkeley (1998, 2001). He was a faculty member at UC Riverside from 2006-2011 before joining UC Berkeley in 2011, and he has also worked as a research engineer for Solo Energy Corp. (1998-1999). His research interests emphasize fundamental studies of heat transfer and energy conversion at the nanoscale, using both theoretical and experimental methods. Some topics of current interest include graphene, nanocrystalline materials, mean free path distributions, thermoelectrics, biological systems, and highly anisotropic and nonlinear transport including thermal rectification. His research has been recognized with a DARPA Young Faculty Award (2009) and NSF CAREER award (2011).


Research Description:

Heat transfer and energy conversion at the micro and nano scale. Theoretical and experimental methods. Nanostructured thermoelectric materials. Thermal rectification. Graphene. Nonlinear, anisotropic, and asymmetric heat transfer.

 

Key Publications:

For a list of Professor Dames’ publications, please visit the Nano/Energy Lab website.

Michael Frenklach

Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes Chair in Mechanical Engineering

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes Chair in Mechanical Engineering

6105B Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
frenklach@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-1676

For more information see: Combustion Laboratory
Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Chemical kinetics; Computer modeling; Combustion chemistry; Pollutant formation (NOx, soot); Shock tube; Chemical vapor deposition of diamond films; Homogeneous nucleation of silicon, silicon carbide, and diamond powders; Interstellar dust formation.

 

Key Publications:

For a list of Professor Frenklach’s publications, please visit the Combustion Laboratory website.

Michael Gollner

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Deb Faculty Fellow

6105A Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
mgollner@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-3371

For more information see: Berkeley Fire Research Lab
Current Classes Taught

Dr. Michael Gollner received his B.S. (2008), M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. He was a faculty member in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park from 2012-2019. He is broadly interested in fire science problems, utilizing experiments and combustion and fluid dynamics theory to solve problems related to fire spread, material flammability, and smoke transport. Much of his work is focused on applications to wildfires, including their spread through vegetation, ignition of structures in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), transport of embers, fire whirls, and emissions from wildfire smoke.

 

Dr. Gollner is active in professional society leadership, serving as Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF), Chair of the Research Advisory Board of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Fire Protection Research Foundation, and as a member of the Management Committee of the International Association for Fire Safety Science. He also serves as Associate Editor for the journal Fire Technology and serves on the boards of the Fire Safety Journal and the International Journal of Wildland Fire. He is a principal member of the NFPA Technical Committees on Spaceports and Wildland and Rural Fire Protection. He is also a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, Proulx Early Career Award in Fire Safety Science, and the Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal.

 

To view Dr. Gollner’s CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Combustion, Fire Dynamics, Wildland Fire, Fluid Mechanics

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Dr. Gollner’s publications, please click here.

Kosa Goucher-Lambert

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6179 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
kosa@berkeley.edu
(510) 664-5376

For more information see: Current Classes Taught
Co-Design Lab

Kosa Goucher-Lambert is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an Affiliate Faculty member in the Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation and the Berkeley Institute of Design. Kosa received his B.A. (2011) in Physics from Occidental College, and his M.S. (2014) and Ph.D. (2017) in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. His primary research interests focus on understanding decision-making processes in engineering design using a combination of mathematical analyses, computational modeling, human cognitive studies, and neuroimaging approaches. Kosa was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2014 ASME IDETC Design Theory and Methodology Best Paper Award, 2015, 2017, and 2019 International Conference on Engineering Design Reviewers Favorite Award, and 2019 Excellence in Design Science Award. Kosa primarily teaches courses on integrated product development, with an emphasis on complex socio-technical challenges.


Research Description:

Design theory, methodology, and automation: decision-making applied to engineering teams and individuals; ideation and creativity; analogical reasoning in design; preference modeling and design attribute optimization; design cognition; neuroimaging methods applied to design; sustainable design; new product development; crowdsourcing and collaboration.

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Goucher-Lambert’s publications, please click here.

Costas Grigoropoulos

A. Martin Berlin Chair in Mechanical Engineering

A. Martin Berlin Chair in Mechanical Engineering
Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6129 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
cgrigoro@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-2525

For more information see: Laser Thermal Lab
Current Classes Taught

Costas P. Grigoropoulos received his Diploma Degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (1978), and in Mechanical Engineering (1980) from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. He holds a M.Sc. degree (1983), and a Ph.D. (1986), both in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. He joined the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley as an Assistant Professor in 1990, after serving as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington from 1986-1990. He was promoted to Associate Professor in July 1993 and to Professor in Mechanical Engineering in July 1997. He has conducted research at the Xerox Mechanical Engineering Sciences Laboratory, the IBM Almaden Research Center and the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH, Greece. He is Faculty Staff Scientist with the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.


Research Description:

Laser materials processing and micro/nano-machining, fabrication of flexible electronics and energy conversion devices, characterization of micro/nanofluidic transport, laser interactions with biological materials, architected materials.

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Grigoropoulos’ publications, please visit the Laser Thermal Lab website.

Grace X. Gu

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6177 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
ggu@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-4996

For more information see: Gu Research Group
Current Classes Taught

Education:
PhD Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2018
MS Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2014
BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2012


Research Description:

Research interests: Composites, additive manufacturing, fracture mechanics, topology optimization, machine learning, finite element analysis, and bioinspired materials.

 

Key Publications:

S Lee, Z Zhang, and GX Gu. Deep learning accelerated design of mechanically efficient architected materials, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2023

 

B Zheng, Z Jin, G Hu, J Gu, SY Yu, JH Lee, and GX Gu. Machine learning and experiments: A synergy for the development of functional materials, MRS Bulletin, 2023

 

S Lee, D Lim, E Pegg, and GX Gu.  The origin of high-velocity impact response and damage mechanisms for bioinspired composites, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2022

 

JH Lee, Z Zhang, and GX Gu. Maximum electro-momentum coupling in piezoelectric metamaterial scatterers, Journal of Applied Physics, 2022

 

Z Zhang, Z Jin, and GX Gu. Efficient pneumatic actuation modeling using hybrid physics-based and data-driven framework, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2022

 

S Lee, Z Zhang, and GX Gu. Generative machine learning algorithm for lattice structures with superior mechanical properties, Materials Horizons, 2022

 

Z Jin, Z Zhang, K Demir, and GX Gu. Machine learning for advanced additive manufacturing, Matter, 2020

 

B Zheng and GX Gu. Machine learning-based detection of graphene defects with atomic precision, Nano-Micro Letters, 2020

 

C Yang, Y Kim, S Ryu, and GX Gu. Prediction of composite microstructure stress-strain curves using convolutional neural networks, Materials & Design, 2020

 

Z Zhang, K Demir, and GX Gu. Developments in 4D-printing: A review on current smart materials, technologies, and applications, International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials, 2019

 

To view a complete list of Professor Gu’s publications, please visit the Gu Research Group website.

Roberto Horowitz

James Fife Endowed Chair

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering
James Fife Endowed Chair

5100A Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
horowitz@berkeley.edu

For more information see: Horowitz Home Page
Current Classes Taught

Roberto Horowitz is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley and holds the James Fife Endowed Chair in the College of Engineering.   He received a B.S. degree with highest honors in 1978 and a Ph.D. degree in 1983 in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and became a faculty member of the Mechanical Engineering Department in 1982. Dr. Horowitz teaches and conducts research in the areas of adaptive, learning, nonlinear and optimal control, with applications to Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS), computer disk file systems, robotics, mechatronics and Intelligent Vehicle and Highway Systems (IVHS). He is a former Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Department is a former co-director of the Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH) research center at U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Horowitz is a member of IEEE and ASME and the recipient of the 2010 ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division (DSCD) Henry M. Paynter Outstanding Investigator Award.

 

To view Professor Horowitz’s CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Adaptive, learning and nonlinear control, control of robot manipulators, computer mechatronics systems, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), intelligent vehicle and highways systems (IVHS)

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Horowitz’s publications, click here.

Alexis Kaminski

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ho-Shang and Mei-Li Lee Faculty Fellow

6115 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
kaminski@berkeley.edu

For more information see: Current Classes Taught
Alexis Kaminski Website

Alexis Kaminski is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Alexis received her BSc (2010) and MSc (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, and her PhD (2016) in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining UC Berkeley in 2021, she worked as a postdoc in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University and at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory.

 

November 2021 – update for graduate recruitment: I am recruiting PhD students to start in fall 2022! For more information, please see https://akkaminski.github.io


Research Description:

Stratified flows, hydrodynamic instabilities, transition to turbulence, mixing and entrainment, internal waves, non-normal stability, upper-ocean dynamics, physical oceanography, geophysical and environmental fluid dynamics.

 

Key Publications:

AK Kaminski, KR Helfrich, and J Pedlosky 2020 An experimental investigation of the Rossby two-slit problem. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 893, A4.

J Tu, D Fan, Q Lian, Z Liu, W Liu, A Kaminski, and W Smyth 2020 Acoustic observations of Kelvin-Helmholtz billows on an estuarine lutocline. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 125(4), JC015385.

AK Kaminski and MR Flynn 2020 Modal decomposition of polychromatic internal wave fields in arbitrary stratifications. Wave Motion 95, 102549.

AK Kaminski and WD Smyth 2019 Stratified shear instability in a field of pre-existing turbulence. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 862, 639-658

AK Kaminski, CP Caulfield, and JR Taylor 2017 Nonlinear evolution of linear optimal perturbations of strongly stratified shear layers. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 825, 213-244.

RM Sahuri, AK Kaminski, MR Flynn, and M Ungarish 2015 Axisymmetric gravity currents in two-layer density-stratified media. Environmental Fluid Mechanics 15(5), 1035-1051.

AK Kaminski, CP Caulfield, and JR Taylor 2014 Transient growth in strongly stratified shear layers. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 758, R4.

CJ Prend, GR Flierl, KM Smith, and AK Kaminski 2021 Parameterizing eddy transport of biogeochemical tracers. Geophysical Research Letters 48, e2021GL094405.

AK Kaminski, EA D’Asaro, AY Shcherbina, and RR Harcourt 2021 High-resolution observations of the North Pacific transition layer from a Lagrangian float. Journal of Physical Oceanography 51, 3163-3181.

Homayoon Kazerooni

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6147 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
kazerooni@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-2964

For more information see: Berkeley Robotics & Human Engineering Laboratory
Current Classes Taught

Dr. Kazerooni is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as the director of the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. With more than 30 years of mechanical engineering experience and a doctorate degree from MIT, he is a leading expert in robotics, control sciences, exoskeletons, medical devices, human-machine systems and augmentation, bioengineering, mechatronics design, and intelligent assist devices.  Prior to his more well-known research on lower extremity exoskeletons, Dr. Kazerooni led his team at Berkeley to successfully develop robotics systems that enhanced human upper extremity strength.  The results of this work led to a new class of Intelligent Assist Devices (IAD) that are currently marketed worldwide by leading material handling corporations for use by manual laborers in distribution centers and factories globally.  

 

Dr. Kazerooni’s later work focuses on the control of human-machine systems specific to lower human extremities. After developing BLEEX, ExoHiker, and ExoClimber–three load-carrying exoskeletons–his team at Berkeley created HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier). It is the first energetically-autonomous, orthotic, lower extremity exoskeleton that allows its user to carry 200-pound weights in various terrains for an extended period, without becoming physically overwhelmed.  The technology was licensed to Lockheed Martin. Dr. Kazerooni has also developed lower-extremity technology to aid persons who have experienced a stroke, spinal cord injuries, or health conditions that obligate them to use a wheelchair.  His medical exoskeletons, Ekso and Phoenix have successfully allowed those who have been paralyzed to walk, stand, and speak face to face with peers in an upright position. The technologies related to Ekso and Phoenix are licensed to Ekso Bionics and suitX. 

 

In addition to his teaching work and research experience in academia, Dr. Kazerooni is also an entrepreneur. In 2005, he founded Ekso Bionics (eksobionics.com), which went on to become a publicly-owned company in 2014 and now supplies medical exoskeleton (Ekso) to a great number of rehabilitation centers worldwide.  Later he founded suitX (suitx.com), a VC, industry, and government funded company that provides industrial and medical exoskeletons.  suitX was acquired by Ottobock, the largest European medical device company in late 2021.

 

Dr. Kazerooni has won numerous awards including Discover Magazine’s Technological Innovation Award, the McKnight-Land Grant Professorship, and has been a recipient of the outstanding ASME Investigator Award. His research was recognized as the most innovative technology of the year in New York Times Magazine. He has served in a variety of leadership roles in the mechanical engineering community and was notably the editor of two journals: ASME Journal of Dynamics Systems and Control and IEEE Transaction on Mechatronics. A recognized authority on robotics, Dr. Kazerooni has published more than 200 articles to date, delivered over 130 plenary lectures internationally, and is the inventors of over 200 patents.


Research Description:

Bioengineering, robotics, control systems, mechatronics, design, automated manufacturing and human-machine systems

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Kazerooni’s publications, please visit the Berkeley Robotics & Human Engineering Laboratory’s website.

Tony M. Keaveny

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering

5124 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
tonykeaveny@berkeley.edu
(510) 390-1626

For more information see: Bone Biomechanics Lab
Current Classes Taught

Tony Keaveny is a Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and the director of the Berkeley Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory. Dr. Keaveny received his B.E. (1984) degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, Ireland, and his M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. (1991) degrees, also in Mechanical Engineering, from Cornell University. He spent one year (1990-1991) as a Maurice Mueller Post-Doctoral Fellow in Orthopaedic Biomechanics in the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, after which he joined the permanent staff there as a Senior Research Associate (1991- 1993). At the same time, Dr. Keaveny was appointed an Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and joined the faculty of the Harvard/M.I.T. Health Sciences and Technology Program. He left Boston and joined the Berkeley faculty in 1993, at which time he established the Berkeley Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory.

 

Dr. Keaveny has served as Principal Investigator on an NIH FIRST Award and several NIH R01 and R21 grants, a Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Research Grant, an NSF CAREER Award, and numerous industrial grants. In 1996, he received the YC Fung Young Investigator Award from the Bioengineering Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was the 2010 winner of the Van C. Mow Medal. As director of the Berkeley OBL, Dr. Keaveny directs and supervises all research in the laboratory, and acts as the faculty research mentor for all students.


Research Description:

Biomechanics: mechanical behavior of bone, finite element modeling and experimentation, design of bone-implant systems, tissue engineering

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Keaveny’s publications, please click here.

Kyriakos Komvopoulos

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering

5143 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
kyriakos@me.berkeley.edu
(510) 642-2563

For more information see: Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Theoretical and numerical studies in nano/microscale contact mechanics, tribology, mechanical behavior of thin-film structures, deposition and characterization of ultrathin films by sputtering and filtered cathodic vacuum arc methods, stress analysis, fracture, and adhesion of dynamic microdevices, plasma-assisted surface modification of biopolymers, surface chemical functionalization for enhanced biocompatibility and cell activity, mechanotransduction effects at the single-cell and tissue levels, and electrospun fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering.

 

To learn more about Professor Komvopoulos’ research, please click here.

 

To view a list of Professor Komvopoulos’ supervised current and past graduate students and visiting scholars, please click here.

 

To view a biographical sketch of Professor Komvopoulos, please click here.

 

To view the content of courses taught by Professor Komvopoulos, please click here.

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Komvopoulos’ publications, please click here.

Liwei Lin

James Marshall Wells Academic Chair in Mechanical Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
James Marshall Wells Academic Chair
Co-Director, Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center

5135 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
lwlin@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-5495

For more information see: Lin Lab
Lin Home Page
Current Classes Taught

2006 – 2009  Vice Chair – Graduate Study, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California at Berkeley

2004  Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California at Berkeley

2001  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California at Berkeley

1999  Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California at Berkeley

1996  Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Michigan

1994  Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University

1993  Senior Research Scientist, BEI Electronics Inc.

1993  PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley

1991  MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley

1986  BS, Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University


Research Description:

MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems); NEMS (Nanoelectromechanical Systems); Nanotechnology; design and manufacturing of microsensors and microactuators; development of micromachining processes by silicon surface/bulk micromachining; micromolding process; mechanical issues in MEMS including heat transfer, solid/fluid mechanics, and dynamics.

 

Key Publications:

For a list of Professor Lin’s publications, please click here.

Fai Ma

Professor of Applied Mechanics

6127 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
fma@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-6527

For more information see: Current Classes Taught

To view Professor Ma’s CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Dynamical Systems with Inherent Uncertainties, Vibration, Damping and Hysteresis

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Ma’s publications, please click here.

Simo Mäkiharju

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6119 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
makiharju@berkeley.edu

For more information see: FLOW Lab
Current Classes Taught

Simo A. Mäkiharju is an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley.  Prof. Mäkiharju’s undergraduate studies were in Energy Technology at the Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland. In 2005 he received his Mechanical Engineering M.Sc. from the Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in 2012 from the University of Michigan. His graduate research focused on the reduction of hydrodynamic drag by gas injection and the development of a time-resolved x-ray densitometry imaging system for the study of multiphase flows. He continued at the University of Michigan as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (2012-2014) and as an Assistant Research Scientist (2014-2015) investigating single- and multiphase flow mixing in channel flows while continuing the development of x-ray based 2D and 3D flow measurement techniques. Starting as an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley in January of 2016, he is continuing to pursue his research interest in advancing the physical understanding of high-Reynolds number single- and multiphase flows through experimental research, primarily through the development and use of advanced experimental techniques.


Research Description:

One of the central objectives of Professor Mäkiharju’s research is to advance the physical understanding of high Reynolds number single- and multiphase flows primarily through experimental research, and through the development and use of advanced experimental techniques. Multiphase flows are encountered in almost every aspect of modern life, including offshore applications, biological flows, energy production, chemical processing, and naval hydrodynamics. Specific topics Professor Mäkiharju has worked on include the reduction drag on marine vehicles, mitigation of damage and noise caused by cavitation in naval and industrial applications, and efficient handling of single- and multiphase flows in energy production applications.

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Mäkiharju’s publications, please click here.

Philip S. Marcus

Tien-Modak Chancellor’s Chair in Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Tien-Modak Chancellor’s Chair in Engineering

6121 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
pmarcus@me.berkeley.edu
(510) 642-5942

For more information see: Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Algorithms, atmospheric flows, convection, fluid mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, ocean flows, numerical analysis, turbulence.

 

Key Publications:

2015

“High S/N Keck and Gemini AO imaging of Uranus during 2012–2014: New cloud patterns, increasing activity, and improved wind measurements”, LA Sromovsky, I de Pater, PM Fry, HB Hammel, P Marcus, June 2015, Icarus, vol. 258 pp. 192–223, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.05.029.

 

“Dramatic Change in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot”, AA Simon, MH Wong, JH Rogers, GS Orton, I de Pater, X Asay-Davis, RW Carlson, PS Marcus, March 2015, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, vol. 46 pp. 1010. — PDF

 

To view a complete list of Professor Marcus’ publications from previous years, please visit the Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory website.

Sara McMains

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

5145 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
mcmains@me.berkeley.edu
(510) 852-9359

For more information see: McMains Home Page
Current Classes Taught

Dr. McMains is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests include Geometric DFM (Design for Manufacturing) feedback, geometric solid modeling, CAD/CAM, GPU algorithms, computer aided process planning, layered manufacturing, computer graphics, visualization, virtual prototyping, and virtual reality. Her current research focuses on new techniques for accessibility analysis and collision detection, with applications in haptic design environments, design for manufacturing for injection molding, design for cleanability, layered manufacturing, and machining.

 

McMains received her A.B. from Harvard University in Computer Science, and her M.S. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Computer Science with a minor in Mechanical Engineering. She is the recipient of Best Paper Awards from Usenix (1995) and ASME DETC (2000), a Best Poster and a Best Paper Award from the ACM Solid and Physical Modeling Symposium (2007, 2008 — 2nd place), and the NSF CAREER Award (2005).


Research Description:

Geometric and solid modeling, computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing, layered manufacturing, computer graphics and visualization, virtual prototyping, virtual reality.

 

Mohammad R. K. Mofrad

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering

208A Stanley Hall #1762
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1762
mofrad@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-8165

For more information see: Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory
Current Classes Taught

Education

1991  B.A.Sc., Sharif University of Technology

1994  M.A.Sc., University of Waterloo

1999  Ph.D., University of Toronto

 

Professional Experience

1999 – 2000  Post-Doc, Computer Science Department, University of Toronto

2000 – 2002  Post-Doc, MIT and Harvard Medical School/Mass. General Hospital

2002 – 2004  Principal Research Scientist, Biological and Mechanical Engineering, MIT

2005 – 2010  Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley

2010 – 2013  Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley

2011               Visiting Professor, Department of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

2012 – 2013  Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

2012 – Present  Faculty Scientist, Molecular Biophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

2012 – 2014  Faculty Director, UC Berkeley Master of Bioengineering (M.Eng) Program

2013 – Present  Professor, Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

2014 – 2015  Faculty Co-Director, Berkeley-UCSF Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) Program


Research Description:

Multiscale Biomechanics of Cardiovascular Disease and Brain Injury; Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology; Mechanics of Integrin-Mediated Focal Adhesions; Mechanics of the Nuclear Pore and Nucleocytoplasmic Transport

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Mofrad’s publications, please visit the Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory website and PubMed.

Mark W. Mueller

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

5136 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
mwm@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-3270

For more information see: HiPeR Lab
Current Classes Taught

Mark W. Mueller received a B.Eng. in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 2008. With a scholarship from the Swiss Federation, he continued to his M.Sc. and Dr. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the ETH Zurich, in 2011 and 2015, respectively. He joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at UC Berkeley in August 2016.


Research Description:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, dynamics and control; motion planning and coordination; state estimation and localization.

 

Key Publications:

For a list of Professor Mueller’s publications, please click here.

Grace D. O’Connell

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, College of Engineering

5122 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
g.oconnell@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-3739

For more information see: O'Connell Lab
Current Classes Taught

Education
2001 – 2004 B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland
2004 – 2009 Ph.D. Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
2009 – 2013 Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University


Research Description:

Biomechanics of cartilage and intervertebral disc; tissue engineering; continuum modeling of soft tissues; intervertebral disc function, degeneration, and regeneration

 

Key Publications:

2015

Tan AR, Alegre-Aguaron E, O’Connell GD, VandenBerg CD, Aaron RK, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Bulinski JC, Ateshian GA, Hung CT. Passage-Dependent Relationship between Mesenchymal Stem Cell Mobilization and Chondrogenic Potential. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, In Press

 

2014

O’Connell GD, Newman IB, Carapezza MA. Effect of long-term osmotic loading culture on matrix synthesis from intervertebral disc cells. BioResearch, Oct 1;3(5):242-9, 2014.

 

Ponnurangam S, O’Connell GD, Chernyshova I, Woods K, Somasundaran P, Hung CT. Ceria nanoparticles modulate development and interleukin response of chondrocyte-seeded hydrogel constructs. Tissue Engineering, Part A, Nov; 20(21-22):2908-19, 2014.

 

O’Connell GD, Nims R, Green J, Cigan A, Ateshian GA, Hung CT. Time and dose-dependent effects of chondroitinase ABC on growth of engineered cartilage. eCells and Materials Journal, Vol. 27: 312-320, 2014.

 

To view a complete list of Professor O’Connell’s publications from previous years, please visit the Berkeley Biomechanics Laboratory website.

Oliver M. O’Reilly

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

5131 Etcheverry Hall/227 California Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
oreilly@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-0877

For more information see: Dynamics Lab
Current Classes Taught

Oliver M. O’Reilly is the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Faculty Athletics Representative, and a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley

 

He received his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Subsequently, he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University. At Cornell, he studied under Phil Holmes and Frank Moon. After spending two years as a postdoc at the Institut für Mechanik at ETH-Zürich under Jürg Dual, he joined the faculty in Mechanical Engineering at Cal in 1992. He has previously served as the Chair and Vice Chair of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate and as an Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society.

 

His interests span the fields of continuum mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He has a broad range of specializations including directed (or Cosserat) theories of deformable bodies, constrained rigid body dynamics, contact mechanics, linear and nonlinear vibrations and linear and nonlinear dynamics of deformable bodies. He has applied these interests to a range of applications including soft robots, MEMS resonators, brake squeal, the dynamics of toys, motorcycle navigation, axially moving media, artificial and natural satellites, spinal kinematics and vehicle collision dynamics. 

 

O’Reilly has coauthored over 100 archival journal articles, written three textbooks, coauthored a monograph, and is a co-inventor on two patents. He has also received multiple teaching awards including U.C. Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1999, the Pi-Tau-Sigma Professor of the Year Award in 2003 and the Tau-Beta-Pi Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in 2013. He is also a recent recipient of the Berkeley Faculty Service Award. 

 

To view Professor O’Reilly’s CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Dynamics, Vibrations, Continuum Mechanics

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor O’Reilly’s publications, please visit the Dynamics Lab website.

Panayiotis Papadopoulos

Byron and Elvira Nishkian Chair in Structural Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Byron and Elvira Nishkian Chair in Structural Engineering

6131 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
panos@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-3358

For more information see: Computational Solid Mechanics Lab
Current Classes Taught

RELATED EXPERIENCE

7/1/04 – present : Professor, University of California, Berkeley
7/1/98 – 6/30/04 : Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley
7/1/92 – 6/30/98 : Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley
1/1/92 – 6/30/92 : Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley
8/1/91 – 12/31/91 : University Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley
1/1/88 – 8/31/91 : Graduate Research Assistant, University of California, Berkeley
8/1/87 – 5/31/90 : Graduate Student Instructor, University of California, Berkeley

 

UNIVERSITY DEGREES

Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, December 1991
M.S. Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, May 1987
Dipl. Civil Engineering, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece, July 1986


Research Description:

Computational mechanics, solid mechanics, biomechanics, applied mathematics

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Professor Papadopoulos’ publications, please visit the Computational Solid Mechanics Lab website.

Kameshwar Poolla

Cadence Distinguished Professorship in the College of Engineering

Cadence Design Systems Distinguished Professor
Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering

5141 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
poolla@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-1150

For more information see: Berkeley Center for Control and Identification
Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Theory: Modeling & System Identification, Robust Control, Optimization

 

Applications: Wireless Sensor Networks, Green Buildings, Semiconductor Manufacturing, Medical Imaging

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Poolla’s publications, please visit the Berkeley Center for Control & Identification website.

Lisa Pruitt

Lawrence Talbot Chair in Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Lawrence Talbot Chair in Engineering

5134 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
lpruitt@berkeley.edu

For more information see: Medical Polymer Group
Current Classes Taught

To view Professor Pruitt’s CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Research is focused on structure-property relationships in orthopedic tissues, biomaterials and medical polymers. Current projects include the assessment of fatigue fracture mechanisms and tribological performance of orthopedic biomaterials, as well as characterization of orthopedic tissues and associated devices. Surface modifications using plasma chemistry are used to optimize polymers for medical applications. Attention is focused on wear, fatigue and multiaxial loading. Retrievals of orthopedic implants are characterized to model in vivo degradation and physiological loading. Biomechanical characterization of structural tissues is performed to assess clinical treatments and to develop constitutive relationships. Laboratory techniques for structural characterization include SEM, TEM, FEM, SAXS, USAXS, XPS, DSC, GPC, FTIR, AFM, confocal microscopy, wear testing, fatigue testing, fracture mechanics analysis, and nanoindentation. Research has been supported by NIH, NSF, ONR, DARPA, OREF and industry. Pedagogical experience includes curriculum development in mechanical engineering and bioengineering. Teaching includes freshman seminars; undergraduate courses on Mechanical Behavior and Processing of Materials, Structural Aspects of Biomaterials, and Principles of Bioengineering; graduate courses on Fracture Mechanics, Mechanical Behavior of Materials, and Polymer Engineering.

 

Key Publications:

2014

F. Ansari, C. Major, T. R. Norris, S. B. Gunther, M. Ries, and L. Pruitt. “Unscrewing instability of modular reverse shoulder prosthesis increases propensity for in vivo fracture: a report of two cases.” Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery/American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons…[et al.] 23, no. 2 (2014): e40-5.

 

E.W. Patten, D. Van Citters, M. D. Ries, and L. Pruitt. “Quantifying cross-shear under translation, rolling, and rotation, and its effect on UHMWPE wear.” Wear 313, no. 1 (2014): 125-134.

 

To view a complete list of Professor Pruitt’s publications from previous years, please click here.

Ömer Savaş

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6113 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
savas@berkeley.edu
(510) 642-5705

For more information see: Current Classes Taught

To view Professor Savaş’ CV, please click here.


Research Description:

Fluid mechanics: aircraft wake vortices; biofluid mechanics; boundary layers; instrumentation; rotating flows; transient aerodynamics; turbulent flows; vortex dynamics

 

To learn more about Professor Savaş’ research, please click here.

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Savaş’ publications, please click here.

Thomas Schutzius

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6107 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720
tschutzius@berkeley.edu

For more information see: Laboratory for Multiphase Thermofluidics and Surface Nanoengineering

Dr. Thomas Schutzius is starting as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley in January 2023. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich where he led the Laboratory for Multiphase Thermofluidics and Surface Nanoengineering. His research intersects the multidisciplinary fields of energy, surface science and engineering, and thermofluidics, and his experimental work captures the fundamental dynamics of a vast array of interfacial and micro-nanoscale transport phenomena. Dr. Schutzius received the prestigious ERC Starting Grant, which supported his research on understanding the fundamentals of limescale formation on surfaces (scaling) and using this knowledge to rationally engineer “scale-​phobic” surfaces. In 2020 he received the ETH “Golden Owl” Award for excellent teaching and was a nominee for the KITE Award 2022 recognizing innovation in teaching. During his graduate studies, he was the recipient of the Dean’s Scholar Award and the UIC Outstanding Thesis Award. He also received the ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2018 he was part of the ETH Zurich representation to the prestigious Global Young Scientist Summit (GYSS) in Singapore.


Research Description:

Dr. Schutzius’ research group is committed to deepening our understanding of nanoscale transport phenomena and leveraging this knowledge for future transformative, sustainable water and energy technologies. Core competencies include micro/nanofabrication techniques, interfacial optical methods, and thermodynamic and interfacial modeling, which are use to study how surfaces and bulk materials can be (nano)engineered to enhance micro/nano-scale and interfacial transport. Based on the group’s findings, they develop and fine-tune materials and devices for application at the water-energy nexus or in healthcare.

Shawn Shadden

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

6149 Etcheverry Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1740
shadden@berkeley.edu
(510) 664-9800

For more information see: Shadden Lab
Current Classes Taught

Research Description:

Cardiovascular Biomechanics, Computational Mechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Dynamical Systems, Fluid Dynamics, Lagrangian Coherent Structures, Mathematical Modeling, Thrombosis

 

Key Publications:

To view a list of Professor Shadden’s publications, please visit the Shadden Lab website.